SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
With the emergence of the sharing economy, Airbnb has become the poster child for the digital peer-to-peer accommodation market in the hospitality industry. The study explores the attributes influencing Airbnb user experiences in Sri Lanka by analyzing online guest reviews. The study uses an exploratory research design to examine a large data set of Airbnb user reviews utilizing text mining and sentiment analysis. According to the analysis, five key themes emerged from the review comments: “recommend,”“host,”“experience,”“room,” and “location.” Furthermore, the relationship between the host and the guest greatly impacts the Airbnb user experience in Sri Lanka. Most Airbnb user reviews are positive and primarily focus on the host, while negative ones typically focus on the property’s indoor environmental quality. The study contributes to the literature on the sharing economy by offering a structured and extensive analysis of actual online reviews from Airbnb customers to understand their experiences better while providing valuable insights for various stakeholders in the industry.
Category Archives: SAGE Open
The Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on SMEs’ Performance in a Transitional Economy: The Mediating Role of Differentiation Advantages and Innovation Capability
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
EO literature suggests that the effects of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on performance is affected by studying context. There is a lack of study executed in transitional economies. In addition, the mediating role of differentiation advantages (DA) and innovation capability (IC) on the relationship between EO and performance remains underexplored. Thus, drawing upon resource-based view and contingency theory, this study examines the mediating effects of DA and IC on this relationship in the contexts of manufacturing SMEs located in Vietnam. A sample of 176 manufacturing SMEs currently operating in Vietnam was analyzed. Partial least square structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that DA and IC fully mediate the relationship between EO and performance. These findings permit four theoretical contributions to the literature. First, this study contributes to the EO literature by examining the effects of EO in a transitional economy as Vietnam. Second, this study also overcomes prior EO studies in term of the operationalization of the performance. Third, this study introduces to EO literature two novel mediators such as DA and IC. Last but not least, this study it also contributes to contingency theory in EO study by addressing mediating rather moderating effects. Regarding to practical implications, managers of manufacturing SMEs should aware that adopting EO is only beneficial to the performance when EO can be used to develop DA and IC.
EO literature suggests that the effects of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on performance is affected by studying context. There is a lack of study executed in transitional economies. In addition, the mediating role of differentiation advantages (DA) and innovation capability (IC) on the relationship between EO and performance remains underexplored. Thus, drawing upon resource-based view and contingency theory, this study examines the mediating effects of DA and IC on this relationship in the contexts of manufacturing SMEs located in Vietnam. A sample of 176 manufacturing SMEs currently operating in Vietnam was analyzed. Partial least square structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that DA and IC fully mediate the relationship between EO and performance. These findings permit four theoretical contributions to the literature. First, this study contributes to the EO literature by examining the effects of EO in a transitional economy as Vietnam. Second, this study also overcomes prior EO studies in term of the operationalization of the performance. Third, this study introduces to EO literature two novel mediators such as DA and IC. Last but not least, this study it also contributes to contingency theory in EO study by addressing mediating rather moderating effects. Regarding to practical implications, managers of manufacturing SMEs should aware that adopting EO is only beneficial to the performance when EO can be used to develop DA and IC.
Developing EFL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices in Relation to Learner Autonomy Through Online Teacher Development Workshops
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
The development of autonomy is acknowledged as a significant educational goal in language education, but it seems challenging in many schools. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is the lack of professional development addressing teacher beliefs and practices about learner autonomy (LA) as valid educational concerns. However, in teacher education research, limited attention has been paid to language teachers’ understandings and practices of promoting LA. Hence, this research project aims to develop in-service teachers’ beliefs, understandings, and practices about LA through teacher development workshops. First, an in-depth interview was used to gather five teachers’ beliefs about autonomy and teaching practices in secondary schools. Second, two workshops were conducted based on the literature and the initial interview to develop teachers’ LA-related beliefs, understandings, and practices. Third, a post-workshop evaluation was conducted through a focus group, the written reflection, and the researcher’s self-reflective journals to examine to what extent teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about LA have changed and developed. The findings revealed that the online workshops have made making teachers more aware of the concept of LA and its significance in language learning. Their LA-related beliefs and understandings of their teaching objectives, prior learning experiences, and teaching competence influenced their LA-related classroom practices. Some practical suggestions were provided for designing and implementing professional development workshops.
The development of autonomy is acknowledged as a significant educational goal in language education, but it seems challenging in many schools. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is the lack of professional development addressing teacher beliefs and practices about learner autonomy (LA) as valid educational concerns. However, in teacher education research, limited attention has been paid to language teachers’ understandings and practices of promoting LA. Hence, this research project aims to develop in-service teachers’ beliefs, understandings, and practices about LA through teacher development workshops. First, an in-depth interview was used to gather five teachers’ beliefs about autonomy and teaching practices in secondary schools. Second, two workshops were conducted based on the literature and the initial interview to develop teachers’ LA-related beliefs, understandings, and practices. Third, a post-workshop evaluation was conducted through a focus group, the written reflection, and the researcher’s self-reflective journals to examine to what extent teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about LA have changed and developed. The findings revealed that the online workshops have made making teachers more aware of the concept of LA and its significance in language learning. Their LA-related beliefs and understandings of their teaching objectives, prior learning experiences, and teaching competence influenced their LA-related classroom practices. Some practical suggestions were provided for designing and implementing professional development workshops.
Sustainable Leadership, Knowledge Sharing, and Frugal Innovation: The Moderating Role of Organizational Innovation Climate
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
The present study aims to investigate the relationship between sustainable leadership styles and frugal innovation in SMEs in the Chinese context. We also investigate the role of knowledge sharing as a mediator in the relationship between SL-FI. Furthermore, this study introduces the situational variable organizational innovation climate to explore its moderating role between KS-FI. The data were collected from corporate employees of SMEs in China’s manufacturing and service industries, with a 67.7% response rate on the questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested in this study using SmartPLS 4.0.8.7, and the empirical findings of this study revealed that sustainable leadership positively affects frugal innovation, with the knowledge-sharing process serving as a partial mediating effect. In addition, the results revealed that a higher level of organizational innovation climate will result in a higher effect of knowledge sharing on frugal innovation. The results of the current study provide insights and empirical evidence on the importance of frugal innovation in emerging markets and the ability to improve firms’ frugal innovation through leadership practices and knowledge resources. The current study provides a new contribution as it links sustainable leadership, knowledge sharing, and frugal innovation in the context of China as an emerging country. The research findings contribute to expanding the literature in the area of leadership styles and innovation, and provide practical insights for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and others in developing countries and emerging market SMEs.
The present study aims to investigate the relationship between sustainable leadership styles and frugal innovation in SMEs in the Chinese context. We also investigate the role of knowledge sharing as a mediator in the relationship between SL-FI. Furthermore, this study introduces the situational variable organizational innovation climate to explore its moderating role between KS-FI. The data were collected from corporate employees of SMEs in China’s manufacturing and service industries, with a 67.7% response rate on the questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested in this study using SmartPLS 4.0.8.7, and the empirical findings of this study revealed that sustainable leadership positively affects frugal innovation, with the knowledge-sharing process serving as a partial mediating effect. In addition, the results revealed that a higher level of organizational innovation climate will result in a higher effect of knowledge sharing on frugal innovation. The results of the current study provide insights and empirical evidence on the importance of frugal innovation in emerging markets and the ability to improve firms’ frugal innovation through leadership practices and knowledge resources. The current study provides a new contribution as it links sustainable leadership, knowledge sharing, and frugal innovation in the context of China as an emerging country. The research findings contribute to expanding the literature in the area of leadership styles and innovation, and provide practical insights for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and others in developing countries and emerging market SMEs.
Difficulties of Families With Multiples Recognized by Regional Parenting Support Hubs: A National Public Health Service Study in Japan
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
In comparison to a singleton birth, pregnancy, delivery, and child rearing in families with multiples is more complicated and is associated with more difficulties. This study sheds light on how parenting support hubs all over Japan recognize the difficulties of families with multiples, and how they support them. A questionnaire was distributed to regional parenting support hubs in Japan. The questionnaire coverage included rural to urban areas in all parts of Japan. The questionnaire was presented and answered using Google Forms, a website, a fax, or an e-mail attachment (n = 522). A factor analysis and t-tests were used to analyze the data. Regional parenting support hubs recognized that families with multiples have more difficulties and needs that require support than those with singletons, during both pregnancy and child rearing. However, they did not recognize any marked economic difficulties, which has been demonstrated to be an issue that affects families with multiples. Most regional parenting support hubs did not provide helpful support regarding speaking to parents of multiples, holding social events, or cooperating with other support groups, or rearing support hubs. When the helpful support measures that are recognized by parenting support hubs during the pregnancy/delivery period and the child-rearing period for families with multiple children are in comparison, such parenting support hubs recognized that families with multiples require more support during the pregnancy/delivery period. Parenting support hubs required information on the difficulties in supporting families with multiples and also required guidance on how such support should be provided. Parenting support hubs that cooperated with other hubs gave more support than those that did not. To link the recognition of the difficulties and needs of families with multiples to concrete measures, sufficient information on what is needed and how to support families with multiples should be provided. When presenting information on child rearing support for families with multiples, the importance of support during the child-rearing period should receive more attention. We found that cooperation is an important factor for enhancing parenting support.
In comparison to a singleton birth, pregnancy, delivery, and child rearing in families with multiples is more complicated and is associated with more difficulties. This study sheds light on how parenting support hubs all over Japan recognize the difficulties of families with multiples, and how they support them. A questionnaire was distributed to regional parenting support hubs in Japan. The questionnaire coverage included rural to urban areas in all parts of Japan. The questionnaire was presented and answered using Google Forms, a website, a fax, or an e-mail attachment (n = 522). A factor analysis and t-tests were used to analyze the data. Regional parenting support hubs recognized that families with multiples have more difficulties and needs that require support than those with singletons, during both pregnancy and child rearing. However, they did not recognize any marked economic difficulties, which has been demonstrated to be an issue that affects families with multiples. Most regional parenting support hubs did not provide helpful support regarding speaking to parents of multiples, holding social events, or cooperating with other support groups, or rearing support hubs. When the helpful support measures that are recognized by parenting support hubs during the pregnancy/delivery period and the child-rearing period for families with multiple children are in comparison, such parenting support hubs recognized that families with multiples require more support during the pregnancy/delivery period. Parenting support hubs required information on the difficulties in supporting families with multiples and also required guidance on how such support should be provided. Parenting support hubs that cooperated with other hubs gave more support than those that did not. To link the recognition of the difficulties and needs of families with multiples to concrete measures, sufficient information on what is needed and how to support families with multiples should be provided. When presenting information on child rearing support for families with multiples, the importance of support during the child-rearing period should receive more attention. We found that cooperation is an important factor for enhancing parenting support.
Entrepreneurial Passion Matters: The Relationship Between Proactive Personality and Entrepreneurial Intention
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
The multiple mechanisms of entrepreneurial intention are still an open issue, and few have explored whether the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and proactive personality is influenced by entrepreneurial passion. This study aims to reveal the mediation role of entrepreneurial passion between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention with the application of the classic structural equation modeling. A questionnaire survey was conducted on Chinese undergraduates and 647 questionnaires were collected for the further analysis. The main findings shed light on the mechanisms that underpin entrepreneurial passion and contribute to the growing body of knowledge on entrepreneurial intention and will raise implications for both academic entrepreneurial theory and practice.
The multiple mechanisms of entrepreneurial intention are still an open issue, and few have explored whether the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and proactive personality is influenced by entrepreneurial passion. This study aims to reveal the mediation role of entrepreneurial passion between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention with the application of the classic structural equation modeling. A questionnaire survey was conducted on Chinese undergraduates and 647 questionnaires were collected for the further analysis. The main findings shed light on the mechanisms that underpin entrepreneurial passion and contribute to the growing body of knowledge on entrepreneurial intention and will raise implications for both academic entrepreneurial theory and practice.
The Corporate Social Responsibility Sport Model: Grounded Theory Approach
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
A key feature of Iranian sporting clubs is the increased focus on the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A large number of Iranian sporting clubs are employing CSR initiatives to support specific stakeholders and to leverage their societal positions. Nevertheless, there is limited research that has examined CSR in Iranian sports to guide policy and practice associated with CSR initiatives. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine CSR in the Iranian sports industry so as to support the advancement and evaluation of CSR initiatives in clubs. A developmental orientation was adopted in this qualitative research. Participants were selected using a combination of purposeful and snowball sampling methods. A total of 30 participants were involved including executive managers, university faculty members, and coaches of the Iranian Premier League clubs of Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Futsal, and Handball, as well as members of university sport management faculties. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were used to generate data. Data analysis procedures were conducted in line with the principles of grounded theory and involved open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. In this study, 64 open source codes were identified. Further, the use of the grounded theoretical approach led to the creation of a theoretical model comprised of causal conditions (five categories), contextual conditions (two categories), intervening conditions (six categories), strategies (two categories), and consequences (four categories) that describe the phenomenon of CSR in Iranian sport. Particular attention is given to the five key causal categories that were cultural, social, economic, policy, and institutional in nature. CSR activities were found to have the capacity to impact the promotion of the club through a number of concepts and categories, including fostering trust amongst the public, promoting ethical dimensions through sport, discovering and creating new markets, and attracting supporters. This analysis situated in the Middle East provides a way of considering CSR that is an alternative to the dominant Western approaches.
A key feature of Iranian sporting clubs is the increased focus on the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A large number of Iranian sporting clubs are employing CSR initiatives to support specific stakeholders and to leverage their societal positions. Nevertheless, there is limited research that has examined CSR in Iranian sports to guide policy and practice associated with CSR initiatives. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine CSR in the Iranian sports industry so as to support the advancement and evaluation of CSR initiatives in clubs. A developmental orientation was adopted in this qualitative research. Participants were selected using a combination of purposeful and snowball sampling methods. A total of 30 participants were involved including executive managers, university faculty members, and coaches of the Iranian Premier League clubs of Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Futsal, and Handball, as well as members of university sport management faculties. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were used to generate data. Data analysis procedures were conducted in line with the principles of grounded theory and involved open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. In this study, 64 open source codes were identified. Further, the use of the grounded theoretical approach led to the creation of a theoretical model comprised of causal conditions (five categories), contextual conditions (two categories), intervening conditions (six categories), strategies (two categories), and consequences (four categories) that describe the phenomenon of CSR in Iranian sport. Particular attention is given to the five key causal categories that were cultural, social, economic, policy, and institutional in nature. CSR activities were found to have the capacity to impact the promotion of the club through a number of concepts and categories, including fostering trust amongst the public, promoting ethical dimensions through sport, discovering and creating new markets, and attracting supporters. This analysis situated in the Middle East provides a way of considering CSR that is an alternative to the dominant Western approaches.
Metadata for Efficient Management of Digital News Articles in Multilingual News Archives
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
The digital news preservation and management of low-resource languages are challenging tasks, especially in vast collections. Unique identification of individual digital objects is possible with well-defined attributes to assure efficient management, such as access, retrieval, preservation, usability, and transformability. The metadata element set is required to maximize the available attributes related to the digital objects. To create a comprehensive metadata set that contains all the necessary attributes and data about the digital news objects. It is more challenging and complicated when the archive contains articles from low-resourced and morphologically complex languages like Urdu and Arabic, which is difficult for machines to understand. The study presents challenges in low-resource languages (LRL) and research challenges. This metadata will help to link news articles based on similarity with other news articles stored in the digital news stories archive (DNSA) and ensures accessibility. In this study, we introduced 38 metadata elements set for the digital news stories preservation (DNSP) framework, of which 16 are explicit and 12 are implicit metadata elements. The paper presents how the digital news stories archive (DNSA) is enhanced to a multilingual archive and discusses the digital news stories extractor, which addresses major issues in implementing low-resource languages and facilitates normalized format migration. The extraction results are presented in detail for high-resource languages, that is, English, and low-resource languages (HRL), that is, Urdu and Arabic. The LRL encountered a high error rate during preservation compared to HRL, 10%, and 03%, respectively. The metadata extraction results show that HRL sources support all metadata elements as compared to LRL. The LRL has good support for explicit meta elements and many implicit meta elements with low extraction percentages. The LRL needs a more detailed study for accurate news content extraction and archiving for future access.
The digital news preservation and management of low-resource languages are challenging tasks, especially in vast collections. Unique identification of individual digital objects is possible with well-defined attributes to assure efficient management, such as access, retrieval, preservation, usability, and transformability. The metadata element set is required to maximize the available attributes related to the digital objects. To create a comprehensive metadata set that contains all the necessary attributes and data about the digital news objects. It is more challenging and complicated when the archive contains articles from low-resourced and morphologically complex languages like Urdu and Arabic, which is difficult for machines to understand. The study presents challenges in low-resource languages (LRL) and research challenges. This metadata will help to link news articles based on similarity with other news articles stored in the digital news stories archive (DNSA) and ensures accessibility. In this study, we introduced 38 metadata elements set for the digital news stories preservation (DNSP) framework, of which 16 are explicit and 12 are implicit metadata elements. The paper presents how the digital news stories archive (DNSA) is enhanced to a multilingual archive and discusses the digital news stories extractor, which addresses major issues in implementing low-resource languages and facilitates normalized format migration. The extraction results are presented in detail for high-resource languages, that is, English, and low-resource languages (HRL), that is, Urdu and Arabic. The LRL encountered a high error rate during preservation compared to HRL, 10%, and 03%, respectively. The metadata extraction results show that HRL sources support all metadata elements as compared to LRL. The LRL has good support for explicit meta elements and many implicit meta elements with low extraction percentages. The LRL needs a more detailed study for accurate news content extraction and archiving for future access.
Consumers’ Perception of Risk Facets Associated With Fintech Use: Evidence From Pakistan
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
Studies illustrate progress in financial technology in Pakistan; nevertheless, the uncertain obstacle that prevents clients from adopting financial technology remains unclear. The research on the perceived risk, particularly in using financial technology in Pakistan, is limited. Therefore, this research bridges this gap. Two hundred ten members partook in this exploration. We have used the structural equation modeling approach to probe the acquired information and hypothesis. Empirical results show that three of eight perceived risk factors: performance risk, financial risk, and overall risk, have a substantial adverse effect on the intention to utilize financial technology. The highest impact was performance risk, followed by financial risk and overall risk. Whereas the other five risks: social risk, time risk, security risk, legal risk, and psychological risk, statistically have no substantial adverse effect on intent to utilize financial technology. The outcomes help experts better conceptualize and diminish hazard boundaries in planning for the disturbance of financial technology (fintech). Experts are likewise encouraged to focus on fintech’s operational aptitudes and utilitarian framework execution in fintech administrations.
Studies illustrate progress in financial technology in Pakistan; nevertheless, the uncertain obstacle that prevents clients from adopting financial technology remains unclear. The research on the perceived risk, particularly in using financial technology in Pakistan, is limited. Therefore, this research bridges this gap. Two hundred ten members partook in this exploration. We have used the structural equation modeling approach to probe the acquired information and hypothesis. Empirical results show that three of eight perceived risk factors: performance risk, financial risk, and overall risk, have a substantial adverse effect on the intention to utilize financial technology. The highest impact was performance risk, followed by financial risk and overall risk. Whereas the other five risks: social risk, time risk, security risk, legal risk, and psychological risk, statistically have no substantial adverse effect on intent to utilize financial technology. The outcomes help experts better conceptualize and diminish hazard boundaries in planning for the disturbance of financial technology (fintech). Experts are likewise encouraged to focus on fintech’s operational aptitudes and utilitarian framework execution in fintech administrations.
Development of the Research Literacy Scale for Teachers
SAGE Open, Volume 13, Issue 4, October-December 2023.
Research literacy is essential for teachers to practice their profession based on research-based knowledge. The present study aimed to develop and validate the Research Literacy Scale (RLS) and investigate teachers’ research literacy based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and research utilization models. The data was collected from teachers working in primary and secondary schools for two separate studies. According to the exploratory factor analysis results, a 20-item, four-factor solution emerged: research awareness, attitude toward research, research skills, and research use. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor model fit the data well, and all items are significant under the relevant factors. The sub-factors of the RLS demonstrated high internal consistency. Measurement invariance tests revealed showed full configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance across gender. Teachers doing research had significantly higher scores on all four dimensions, and those who followed scientific journals had higher scores on the three dimensions except for attitude. As a conclusion RLS has good psychometric features to measure teachers’ research literacy, and variables related to research experience cause a significant difference in research literacy.
Research literacy is essential for teachers to practice their profession based on research-based knowledge. The present study aimed to develop and validate the Research Literacy Scale (RLS) and investigate teachers’ research literacy based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and research utilization models. The data was collected from teachers working in primary and secondary schools for two separate studies. According to the exploratory factor analysis results, a 20-item, four-factor solution emerged: research awareness, attitude toward research, research skills, and research use. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor model fit the data well, and all items are significant under the relevant factors. The sub-factors of the RLS demonstrated high internal consistency. Measurement invariance tests revealed showed full configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance across gender. Teachers doing research had significantly higher scores on all four dimensions, and those who followed scientific journals had higher scores on the three dimensions except for attitude. As a conclusion RLS has good psychometric features to measure teachers’ research literacy, and variables related to research experience cause a significant difference in research literacy.